Fighting for Irish

By: Gina L. Maxwell

Narrated by: Holly Fielding

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Former MMA fighter Aiden "Irish" O'Brien hasn't stepped into the ring since he accidentally took someone's life in the heat of rage. When his friend calls in a favor that sends him south to check on family, Irish figures he's got nothing to lose. His life is on the ropes. The least he can do is make sure the sexy redhead is safe.

Kat MacGregor has 48 hours to settle the twenty thousand dollar debt her deadbeat ex-boyfriend owes a crime boss. If she doesn't, she'll pay for it--with her life. Kat's halfway out the door when a sexy new guy walks into the bar and insists he's there to help.

Irish is forced to fight in the underground MMA circuit to win the money she needs. But he's been lying to Kat. About who he is, about knowing her sister, about why he comes home bruised every night. She's the best thing that's ever happened to him, but breaking her trust will cost him the most important fight of his life: the one for her heart.

©2014 Gina L. Maxwell (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

HEART-WRENCHING…TENDER….BEAUTIFUL

I heard this book was vastly different then the previous two in the series and I hesitated because I thought it would be sad and too serious, but what I found was a beautiful, compelling story that made me cry in some parts, but was also completely swoon-worthy and inspirational. Gina L. Maxwell created an emotionally moving, committed story of love between "Irish" Aiden Murphy O'Brien and "Kat" Kathy McGregor (Vanessa's little sister from book #2).

Aiden and Kat are like two different broken pieces that when connected together become a whole. Aiden & Kat's love story took me in and didn't let me go until the very end. He's gorgeous with his strong MMA trained body, amazing tattoos, and piercings. It was sweet to hear Kat's description of well….his body, but most of all, of how she described his face as beautiful. Kat is lovely with her long auburn hair, green eyes and wash of pretty freckles (Aiden was sure drawn in by her natural beauty). I loved how the body language between the two was so strong and communicative from the onset. Aiden's protective instincts came out full force when he was around Kat. (**Sigh*** Aiden is such a modern, day hero…). You can feel the pull between the leads, especially with Aiden, as it was so evident that he wanted Kat with an intensity that burned deep.

Both Aiden and Kat are followed by some serious ghosts of their pasts. Yet, Kat's background was much more traumatic, destructive, and danger seemed perpetually hot on her trail. I couldn't believe how long she had been running practically alone, at that. And, when Kat tells her story I balled like a baby and I appreciated this story even more because I felt that if Maxwell could create a beautiful story for a character like Kat who had so many "firsts" ripped away from her that maybe something beautiful could come about for people in real life who have experienced such ugliness. Yup, this book was pretty powerful in saturation of themes, but most of all, it was powerful in the deliverance of love. Aiden is probably one of my favorite heroes. He's all man; strong, voracious, no nonsense, not much with words, but oh, his tenderness with Kat was something else……just beautiful.

There are so many amazing aspects of this story. It's a definite great 3rd and last book of the series. I'm sad they're over, but I look forward to revisiting this series of audiobooks every once in a while.

Narrator: WOW!! Holly Fielding was phenomenal!! I loved her young, feminine and very crisp female voice for Kat. I also loved the Bostonian accent and male voicing she performed for Aiden….loved it!! She made this a great audiobook!

Ultimately, Aiden (Irish) fought for Kat, but she saved him right back. This my favorite type of love story….

Great New Author

I really enjoyed Fighting For Irish! I loved how strong of a plot it had and how Maxwell took the time to really develop her characters and show us just how multi-layered they both were. While this was a slower moving story- I felt learning the details of Kat and Aiden's pasts was imperative to the overall storyline and watching those two work through the pain of those pasts was a really strong addition to the novel.

I liked Kat's character a lot. Watching her open up to Aiden slowly but surely after a life of never trusting anyone but herself was really inspiring. Kat has literally been to hell and back, as she has experienced things in her life that no woman ever should. She still carries that weight with her, which leads her to intimacy issues with Aiden. Yet, once Aiden realizes that something traumatic has happened to her, he is completely understanding. He's not a jerk and doesn't push her to a point where she would ever feel uncomfortable with him.

Their relationship is both beautiful and incredibly raw at the same time. Because of what happened, Kat has not let a man in intimately and she really is quite innocent in her sexual encounters with Aiden. It takes a lot of trust and patience for her to open up to him, but once she does- these two's chemistry is so hot. Car sex, people. Car. Sex. Whew.

It's kind of funny to think of this huge hunk of a man having such a calming effect on her, but he does. Aiden might carry his own burdens and feel the weight of his own guilt suffocating him, but when it comes to Kat, he would do anything to protect her- from external AND internal forces. I loved Aiden's character. As I said, he carries a lot of guilt over an event that happened in his past, and he really tries to keep his distance from Kat. He is there as a favor to a good friend and to her sister- he's NOT there to fall in love with the beautiful red-haired woman. However, keeping his distance proves to be extremely difficult as Aiden gets involved in the mess Kat is desperately trying to run from. Yet, he tries to hold her at arm's length, never truly believing he is worthy of her or able to give her what she needs. Aiden is afraid to enter back into the world of fighting as he has seen what it does to him and he is so afraid of losing control. When he is fighting, something snaps and everything becomes a blur. The darkness and the adrenaline take hold and he doesn't want to be off balance again. Yet, some sacrifices must be made if he has any hope of getting Kat out of the mess she has found herself in.

I really loved how the book wrapped up and I was left feeling quite satisfied with the ending. Seeing Kat and Aiden fight for each other's happiness, love, and safety was by means one of my favorite parts of this book and I was glad they were able to confide in one another and lean on another when the other needed it. It just made their relationship so much more endearing, as they had to fight for it and not give up.

Love it!

Where does Fighting for Irish rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Very high!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Fighting for Irish?

When Kat shared her story - it was so sad. I love the ending.

What does Holly Fielding bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Holly did a good job.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The same.

Great addition to the series! :D

4.5-5 stars

This was a great story. I loved Kat and Aiden and really got caught up in their story. This is my favorite of the series so far.

Kat grew up in a bad home environment. She was protected from this by her sister, Vanessa (the heroine from Rules of Entanglement), for many years but when things seemed safe, her sister went off to college and Kat suffered sexual abuse by her mother’s new boyfriend (among other things). Kat ended up involved with a guy that wasn’t good for her but got her out of her home. She travelled around with him for years because he’s all she had (and she didn’t want to burden her sister) but when he went in to prison, Kat finally realized that she could live on her own. She has to stay hidden though because her ex’s debts are chasing her and she has no way to pay them off.

Aiden is a good guy. He used to be an MMA fighter in Boston but a tragic incident caused him to swear off fighting. Since then he hasn’t been real happy and has just been existing, not thinking he deserves anything better because of misplaced guilt. He ended up in Louisiana looking for Kat at the request of his friend Jax (who is her sister’s fiancée). He found her and was only supposed to stay for a couple weeks but he ends up staying much longer, unable to leave once he gets a look at Kat.

Aiden gets a job working at the bar that Kat waitresses at (using his nickname of Irish and Kat is using the name Sidney). He gets some friends of his to come to help him but they get jobs doing security for the bar as well. Kat doesn’t have any idea who Aiden actually is and just thinks he’s a very protective co-worker. When it’s been 6 months and no one has come after Kat, Aiden and Jax are thinking that the danger is over. Just about this time, of course the bad guys show up. Aiden tries to help Kat and figure out how to fix the issue but Jax and Vanessa are on a cruise and out of touch so they have no easy way to get the needed money. Aiden gets Kat safe and talks to the guys that are after Kat, trying to figure out what he can do to free her from the debt. There’s no easy answer and Aiden makes them a bargain where they give him a month and he’ll pay them the money they’re owed plus extra for the extra time. He also makes it part of the arrangement that Kat not know she’s still in danger and the guys won’t follow her around during the time Aiden is given to gather the money. While Kat and Aiden are forced together, there’s an attraction between them that grows. Kat has some problems dealing with the intimacy because of her past sexual abuse and Aiden is gentle and slow with Kat, working past her issues with sexual touch and doing his best to make things special between them so she knows she’s with someone who cares. And Kat does know this; she realizes that Aiden’s patience and caring is something special.

Kat was seriously considering leaving (because she thinks she’s free and clear of her debt) but Aiden convinces her to stay by promising to try a relationship with her. The problem lies in the fact that Aiden has decided that he’s not good enough for Kat long term and doesn’t actually plan to stay past getting her out of trouble, figuring a broken heart is better than her ending up dead or sold in to the sex trade by the bad guys. When Aiden starts fighting in the underground tournament (in order to make the money) he plans to hide it from Kat but when he comes home beaten up it becomes obvious he’s fighting so he tells her that he’s just trying to get his fighting career back on track. Things continue alright until Kat happens to find out about Aiden’s connection to her sister. They have a fight and Aiden thinks things are over; he apologizes to Kat and plans to leave after the fight the next night (which is supposed to end the money issue). Kat thinks things over and decides she’s unwilling to let Aiden go and goes to the fight to root him on and tell him she’s not giving up on him. Unfortunately, things don’t go the way they’re supposed to at the fight and Aiden and Kat are both in danger from the bad guys. Aiden and Kat get in a very tough situation and Aiden has to call and old friend to help things end safely for Kat. Things are tense but end well. Kat and Aiden are reunited and after spending some time touching base with their families they start to plan how to live out their HEA.

This was really enjoyable. I loved the characters and thought the story was very well done. Aiden and Kat were perfect for each other and I’m so happy that Kat realized it and was willing to fight for Aiden (when he was being a bit dense and self sacrificing) . I also loved how Aiden was so patient and worked with Kat to get past her issues with sex because of her past. He was so sweet! I can’t wait for the next book in the series. I’d recommend this book. 2 thumbs up. :D

A MOVING & COMPELLING LOVE STORY

What a great surprise this emotional and enjoyable book was as GLM is a new author to me but I thought I'd take a chance and I'm sooo glad I did as it drew me. kept me enthralled and delivered everything I was looking for... loveable H/H with sizzling chemistry, great dialogue, romance, intrigue, passion, humor and lots of steam. As I learnt about the lives of Kat and Aiden I was swept away with the writing skills, the action, the suspense, the many secrets, the unfolding danger and drama, their tender, touching and sensual passion…. and of course, the feel good love story between two souls haunted by their past.

Aiden is a mouthwatering ex MMA Fighter and he's strong, sexy, tattooed and pierced but guilt from a long ago trauma stops him from loving anyone. Kat is mentally scarred but strong willed she's a survivor of teenage abuse, is hiding from her past, her family and some real bad guys and isn't looking for any type of relationship. They work alongside each other and tension builds as the undeniable sexual chemistry starts to sizzle so when they are forced together they can no longer put out the scorching flames of desire. As Aiden learns of Kat's heartbreaking past it brings out his patient, protective, caring and thoughtful side and together they transform each other, fight for one-another and, through danger and pain, comes healing, character growth, joy, family & friend reunions….. and love.

Worth a credit? Hell YEAH - this is book 3 in GLM's Fighting For Love series but, while this could easily be a stand-alone listen, there are characters mentioned and a continuation of a pre-described plot, which makes me wish I had listened to books 1 & 2 first - however they're now safely in My Basket.

Great Listen!

Aidan is sent to find and watch his best friends sister who is in some trouble thanks to her no good ex boyfriend. Falling for her wasn’t apart of the plan but it happened. This story was intense and a lot heavier than what I’ve come to expect from Gina Maxwell but it was still a great read! I loved how slow and patient Aiden was with Kat given her past history of sexual abuse. He made her feel so wanted and special and moved at her pace with everything. Kat was feisty and didn’t take crap from anyone. Put others before herself even if it causes her pain. I finished this story in a few hours and it was quite a ride! My emotions were all over the place and this book has become one of favorites! This is the second audio book that I have listened to by Holly Fielding and I love the work that she has done on each book. Each time she narrates its like a new experience.

Gina Maxwell does it AGAIN!!! Irish ♡Kat!

I've been a huge fan of Gina's ever since her first book in this series, Seducing Cinderella and she certainly didn't let me down here. Meet Aiden "Irish" O'Brien....A fighter that's been off the grid for a while due to tragedy he blames himself for. He's traveled down to sweltering Alabaster, Louisiana for one reason.. Kat MacGregor. She's the sister of one of his good friends fiancé (Vanessa &Jax from Rules of Entanglement) Jax & Vanessa have been desperately looking for Kat. Vanessa's sister has been on the run in hiding. Jax found her and wants Irish to head down to keep an eye on her. Jax plans on making sure Kat is safe and return back home to Boston. But of course things don't always work out as planned. Once Irish & Kate laid eyes on each other the attraction is immediate their chemistry is undeniable. Both of them have their pasts and their demons, but they come together first as Irish helping Kat with her problems but as the story progresses there is more to their relationship, these two characters come together and help each other get past the demons & heal. This story has all the great qualities necessary: likable characters, great plot lines, steamy sex scenes, action, and wonderful dialogue. I truly enjoyed this story. I felt this book was a little deeper & more emotional that Gina's other books in this series. Definitely worth the credit!!

MUST READ!!

I love all the books in this series. All of them will make your heart melt and this one did just that. I had a bad week so I thought nothing could make it all better but Fighting for Irish did the trick. It's steamy and fantastic.

Amazing Gina is freaking awesome. She Rock!!!

I'm an Audible newbie I've always preferred an actual book over audio books. After experiencing Fighting for Irish OMG o love it. I have found my new addiction I never though it would be good to have something read to you, well me.

The narrator was really good her voice was soft and I liked the ways she read Kats verses. She also did a good job switching from Xander to Irish when narrating their verses. But, I would have loved to hear a guy read those parts it would have been sexy with those accents.

As for the story I loved it o have the kindle book as well and can't get enough of it. Gina L Maxwell is such an amazing and talented author she is one off favorites and she's the best mob boss lady ever. Thanks Gina 💋❤️ loves you lots.

If you haven't read any of her books I highly recommend that you do she writes awesome stories. You won't be disappointed.

My Favorite

out of this series, this is my fav. Love everything about Irish..Just wished sometime they were real.